To combat maternal mortality and disparities, the Biden-Harris Administration last week announced that it would introduce a Birthing-Friendly designation system for U.S. hospitals. Run through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Birthing-Friendly designation will be publicly-reported to help consumers select hospitals that delivery high-quality maternity care and demonstrate a commitment to maternal health.

According to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, “Improving maternal health outcomes—particularly among underserved communities—is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. To advance health equity, we must integrate it into our programs, and that’s why we are seeking to measure hospital maternity care quality.”

CMS will use data that hospitals regularly provide to the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program’s Maternal Morbidity Structural Measure to inform Birthing-Friendly designations decisions. Hospitals will begin submitting this data in May 2022 and CMS will begin posting this data in the fall of 2022. CMS will then post the first round of Birthing-Friendly designations on its website in the fall of 2023. 

It is likely that CMS will broaden the criteria it will use to determine Birthing-Friendly designations in the future. On May 10, 2022, the Administration will release more information about its Birthing-Friendly designation initiative in its proposed Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System’s rule for 2023.

About Molly Giammarco

Molly Giammarco has consulted for professional healthcare associations for more than eight years. As Lamaze International’s Senior Manager for Policy & Government Relations, Molly monitors legislation regulations related to maternal and child health, as well as advises the Lamaze Advocacy + Collaboration Committee.

Molly received her undergraduate degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and her master’s degree in public policy from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  She currently lives in Washington, D.C.

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